iTunes and Amazon 'royalty scammers' charged
The PCeU has charged 12 people alleged to have placed songs on iTunes and Amazon to buy them with stolen credit cards.


The Metropolitan Police Service's Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) has charged 12 in relation to an illicit online music sales operation.
The alleged crimes involved creating songs to be sold on iTunes and Amazon, which were then purchased with stolen credit cards, according to reports.
Royalties would then be passed onto the gang, who are thought to have acquired hundreds of thousands of pounds through the operation.
The 12 suspects were caught following an investigation by the PCeU, with assistance from the FBI.
All will appear on bail at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on 15 September.
Eight have been charged with conspiracy to defraud.
They were Denver White, 24, care worker of Helming Drive, Wolverhampton; Rajan Aheer, 20, librarian of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Craig Anderson, 23, unemployed of Edwin Road, Dartford; Arran Jassi, 20, postal worker of Denmore Gardens, Wolverhampton; Sandeep Aheer, 22, unemployed of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Colton Johnson, 19, unemployed of Deansfield Road, Wolverhampton; Lamar Johnson, 19, of Birmingham; and James Batchelor, 27, teacher of Stone Hill Road, Derby.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
The four charged with money laundering were: Siobhan Clarke, 23, a hairdresser of Limes Avenue, Carshalton; Sheahan Steele, 41, a drugs counsellor of Pakfield Walk, Aston, Birmingham; Matthew Clarke, 31, unemployed of Cross Farm Road, Birmingham; Leon Miles, 19, unemployed of Brooklands Parade, Wolverhampton.
Earlier this year, eight men were locked up for their involvement in an iTunes gift certificate scam, spending more than 750,000 of other people's money in the process.
Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.
He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.
-
Enterprises face delicate balancing act with data center sustainability goals
News High energy consumption, raw material requirements, and physical space constraints are holding back data center sustainability efforts, according to new research from Seagate.
By Emma Woollacott
-
Cleo attack victim list grows as Hertz confirms customer data stolen
News Hertz has confirmed it suffered a data breach as a result of the Cleo zero-day vulnerability in late 2024, with the car rental giant warning that customer data was stolen.
By Ross Kelly
-
FBI warns scammers are using cryptocurrency ATMs to siphon cash
News Criminals will stay on phone with victims as they make payments, says advisory
By Danny Bradbury
-
Hackers fake DocuSign and offer fraudulent signing methods
News Criminals impersonate the e-signing company to steal credentials
By Rene Millman
-
Account takeovers rise nearly threefold during pandemic
News Financial services hit hardest by account hijackers, says Sift report
By Danny Bradbury
-
Cyber criminals leak one million credit cards on the dark web
News Among the stolen hoard are customer details from US and Canadian banks
By Rene Millman
-
SentiLink raises $70 million for its identity verification platform
News SentiLink’s ID Theft Score helps businesses combat synthetic fraud
By Praharsha Anand
-
Content fraud levels continue to rise in 2021
News The pandemic has ushered in a new level of scams and misinformation
By Danny Bradbury
-
What is DMARC and how can it improve your email security?
In-depth Protect your customers and brand rep with this email authentication protocol for domain spoofing
By Gabriella Buckner
-
FTC warns of rising cryptocurrency fraud
News Marked rise in cryptocurrency losses began just as pandemic took hold
By Danny Bradbury